When is a Long Distance Call Better than an Email?

April 20, 2015

People wrongfully thought that email killed the phone call. Long distance calls make a world of difference, according to the Wall Street Journal. Not only has placing a call become cheaper than ever relative to geographic location, but also it pays to talk instead of type. Calls provide a level of human interaction that electronic mail simply cannot emulate.

Calls offer the personal touch. It only takes a few seconds to type "happy birthday" into an email and then hit the send button, but people value those who put the time into a personal interaction. Hand-written cards probably take the cake for attention to detail, but they take weeks to arrive. Calling more than makes up for that with speed. Let's be honest, nobody feels genuine gratitude for an email that says "happy holidays."

In which circumstances does a call trump an email? Keeping up with family across the country or even the globe-keeps the familiarity and personal touch that defines many familial relationships. People drift apart when they don't speak to one another directly for extended periods of time. Emails get lost in the weekly shuffle, get put off, and eventually become forgotten. This applies to friendships too!

Why call family members on a daily basis? There are plenty of reasons! People hit milestones more often than we tend to realize: birthdays, graduations, job offers, promotions, engagements, marriage, giving birth, moving arrangements, school acceptances, travelling plans, buying a new home, or winning some sort of competition all warrant a personalized call.

Business calls arguably benefit the most from personalized calls (some have said). Email covers the basic day-to-day activities and queries, although it leaves much to be desired. Calls can take far less time to complete an entire conversation because they hammer out the details in one or two sessions. Email conversations can take a while to write properly and diplomatically, yet the sender holds no guarantee that the recipient will respond to the message in a timely manner.

Calls-especially international calls-cut through the red tape of administrivia by prompting both parties to face whatever issue needs to be solved immediately and with undivided attention. Many issues are simply too complex to leave to text alone. Emails are fantastic for summarizing business meetings and following up on them with smaller details, but they cannot replace calls.

Professionals need to achieve more in a smaller time frame. Talented professionals also know that they'll accomplish more with calls because they can expedite the process while building social capital and good will with their clients, customers, or partners. This is why people businesses purchase long distance packages instead of leaving everything to email. They can hold preliminary interviews, conferences, and negotiations over the phone.

Emails don't hit the nail on the head in quite the same way. Friends, families, and professionals lose that emotional touchstone that facilitates human cooperation through using text alone. Tone can frequently become improperly conveyed or misinterpreted with a poorly typed phrase. Business leaders practice empathy to succeed, and that only works through personal interaction. Just ask Forbes!

The good news is that web-based programs have given people a better inroad to long distance calling than ever before. You don't need to engage in video calls, either. Long distance is back, and it's here to help you facilitate your relationships in every sphere of your life.